Getting to Shetland

Enlarge imageThere are several ways to travel to Shetland: by overnight ferry, by a flight from various airports, you can sail by yacht or arrive by cruise ship.

The ferry takes you from Aberdeen or Scrabster on the Scottish mainland up to Shetland. Some sailings stop at Kirkwall in Orkney. This will depend on the day of your travel. The sailings are overnight. They leaving in the late afternoon or early evening and arrive in Shetland the next morning. You can visit the NorthLink website for timetables and booking information.

Flying is the fastest option. Flybe operates regular flights from Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness, as well as connecting flights from cities nationwide. Flying up to Shetland takes around 55 minutes from Aberdeen, 85 minutes from Edinburgh and 90 minutes from Glasgow. Weather delays may have an effect on journey times. You can visit the Flybe website for more information.

With Shetland's unpredictable weather the ferry remains the most reliable form of travelling. Another advantage when taking the ferry is that you can take your own car, which makes it much easier to visit the more rural parts of Shetland. Shetland, of course, has several hire car companies, including Bolts Car Hire, Star-rent-a-car, M&R Gair.

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Shetland is also a very popular stopping-off point for cruise ships operating in the North Sea.

Yachting is also a popular way for people to visit Shetland. There are many piers and marinas with excellent marine facilities around Shetland's 900 miles of coastline. You can visit the Shetland Marinas website for more information.

Around 460 yachts visit Shetland each year and spend time exploring around the Shetland coastline. There are also numerous events which bring yachtsmen up to Shetland, such as local regattas, and the Shetland Round Britain & Ireland Race.